


Unwavering

by MayhemWonder



Category: Bakuten Shoot Beyblade, Beyblade
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Meet the Family, Meeting the Parents, Originally Posted on Tumblr, brilary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:47:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27184717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayhemWonder/pseuds/MayhemWonder
Summary: Bryan is getting ready to meet Hiromi's parent. Soft fluff.
Relationships: Boris Kuznetsov | Bryan Kuznetsov/Tachibana Hiromi | Hilary Tachibana
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	Unwavering

Hiromi impatiently knocked on the bathroom door.

“Bryan! What’s taking so long?”

No answer came.

Hiromi rolled her eyes and looked at her watch. They would have to walk fast if they wanted to reach the restaurant on time. Her parents were the punctual types and she didn’t want to keep them waiting.

Not tonight.

Tonight was too important.

Hiromi knocked on the door with more insistence. “We’re gonna be late! That doesn’t give off a good first impression, don’t you agree?”

Silence.

Hiromi frowned. This was odd. Bryan was not the silent type, not with her at least. Normally, he would have yelled at her to stop nagging.

She noticed the door hadn’t been locked.

Hiromi took a deep breath and slid the panel of the bathroom open, slow enough so he could protest if needed.

No protest came.

Instead, her boyfriend was standing in front of the bathroom sink, staring blankly at his own reflection, adjusting over and over the sleeves and collar of his shirt, as if desperately trying to feel comfortable in his own garment.

He didn’t even look back at her.

She felt her heart contracting. All of her previous anger dissipated, replaced by something else.

Worry.

Officially introducing Bryan to her family was an important step for both of them. They had pushed back the daunting task as much as possible, until her father had threatened to take a direct flight to Russia and show up uninvited at Bryan’s doorstep.

Hence tonight’s dinner.

Hence Bryan’s visible nervousness.

Hiromi took a step forward.

“What’s going on,” she asked in a soft voice.

Bryan finally glanced at her, but his mouth remained shut.

Hiromi sighed. Bryan was never at loss for words, unless he was scared. Or nervous. Or felt any emotion he had learned should be concealed. In those times, he shut like a clam and slid away from her, in a darkness she hadn’t fully seized the depth of. She needed to bring him back.

She needed him back here, with her.

Hiromi knew “Talk to me” or any other open-ended question wouldn’t work.

 _“Talk to me”_ was assuming he had the words to express his feelings, and most of the time, he didn’t.

She looked at their reflection in the mirror. She barely reached his chest.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned on him. She met his eyes in the mirror.

Bryan stopped playing with his shirt and let his arms falls each side of himself.

She squeezed him gently.

“You know… If you don’t feel like it, I can tell my parents there was an emergency. They’ll understand.”

Bryan blinked, taken aback.

He swallowed and shook his head. “No. I want to go. I want to meet them.”

He then nodded to himself, as if allowing this resolution to sink in.

Hiromi encouraged him to continue, “…but?”

An uncomfortable smile twitched his mouth. “But… you know.”

Hiromi held him tighter. They had discussed this before, but she could reassure him once again. She could do that.

“My sister is _dying_ to meet you. My parents are happy I finally found someone nice. Even my grandma tagged along! It’s gonna be fine.”

Hiromi continued, “I don’t know what you heard about us, but we’re not a strict Japanese family. We’re not the Hiwatari.”

Silence again.

Hiromi briefly considered guilting him into swallowing his nervousness and putting up a face, but she shoved the idea away. She knew he would show up, no matter what, but she didn’t want him to feel like a condemned man facing the executioner.

Bryan always tackled challenges head first. It was easy to get the impression he wasn’t scared of anything, but she knew better now.

She looked at him tentatively.

When Bryan finally spoke, his voice was soft with vulnerability. “What if it doesn’t go well?”

“Why would this dinner go wrong?” Hiromi retorted.

Bryan finally turned towards her and brought his arms on hers. He gently loosened her embrace so they could face each other.

“Hiromi. You’re the first girlfriend I have who wants to introduce _me_ to her family. I don’t know how these things go.”

Hiromi’s gaze went to her shoes. She knew this. She knew in terms of commitment, she was the most serious relationship Bryan had ever had.

“I suppose it won’t help if I tell you to act natural?”

She felt his hands gently stroking her arms.

“Nope. I don’t really know… I don’t know how normal, non fucked-up families operate. I don’t think I ever had a dinner without my parents shouting at each other. I don’t really know how I am supposed to act or what I am supposed to talk about with yours.”

Hiromi nodded.

It would have been funny if the seriousness of the situation didn’t make her stomach twist in a knot. Of course he was anxious. She knew he didn’t count living with the Neoborgs as nuclear family experience. Too much swearing was involved.

They had discussed the matter a few times, but it was the first time he acknowledged the depth of his discomfort.

Hiromi had learned empty promises didn’t work with him either. _“You’ll do fine”,_ “ _Just trust yourself”_ and other platitudes were always met with mockery. She could never hide behind meaningless words.

Bryan was an all-or-nothing type of guy in every aspect of his life.

She stared at him.

“Look.. I’m sure it will go well. But even if it didn’t… Even if it didn’t, then we’ll face this together.”

His eyes narrowed.

She gently took his hands in hers. "Let’s look at the worst case scenario. Suppose they don’t like you for some reason. Let’s say they _hate_ you. My parents and grandma hate you and they forbid me from dating a stupid foreign boy with no manners.”

“Which, I am,” he said.

Hiromi sighed.

He gave a faint apologetic smile, allowing her to continue.

She tightened her grip on his hands. “Let’s say that happen. It won’t change anything between us. I chose you.“

She lowered her voice to emphasize her words. "I chose you. I want to be with you. No matter what. Okay?”

Bryan gave a faint nod. The shadow in his eyes had lifted.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, gaining courage from each other’s presence.

After a moment, Hiromi pointed at the door with her chin.

“Now, let’s go before we’re late for real.”


End file.
